


Hands

by localcryptkeeper



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Injury, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mild Blood, Mild Gore, Post-Time Skip, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Relationship, accidental injury, mild spoilers for the beginning of post-time skip azure moon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 20:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20748494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localcryptkeeper/pseuds/localcryptkeeper
Summary: Hands.Dimitri felt icy hands grabbing at him from all angles, digging their nails into his skin. The faces and voices of the dead surrounded him, taunting him."Pathetic"  His father sneered, blood covering the left side of his face, where his skull was smashed in."You were too weak to save us"  Glenn glared at him, blood seeping from the stab wounds littering his stomach."Kill the wicked girl, crush her treacherous throat!"  His stepmother commanded, skin covered in burns."AVENGE US"  they all screamed, their faces twisting and contorting in agony.Dimitri moaned, unable to bear the torment of the dead any longer. He felt a warm hand touching his shoulder, joining the icy hands gripping him. Dimitri jumped at the sudden touch and violently jerked his arm backwards with a roar, shaking off the hands of the dead as he felt something solid connect with the back of his fist.C R A C K





	Hands

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this fanart (https://cosumosu.tumblr.com/post/187833682701/fe3h-has-been-plaguing-my-ability-to-sleep-since) by cosumosu on tumblr!

It was the Pegasus Moon of Imperial Year 1185, a month since the Blue Lions class had reunited at the dilapidated monastery after five years of war. Within that month they had cleared the monastery of bandits and successfully repelled an attack on their new base from the Imperial army, working together as they had during their days at the Officer's Academy. The former students had quickly settled back into their old routines within the monastery for the most part as it was rebuilt, with the glaring exception of their prince. Dimitri refused to speak to any of them, preferring to speak to the dead. He spent his days prowling back and forth in the ruined cathedral, and his nights muttering to the visions of the dead that haunted his every waking moment. No one could engage him in conversation without being ignored or threatened, not even his former dear professor. That did not stop anyone from trying, however. Did not stop _him_ from trying. 

Byleth walked into the cathedral on one of his free days to be greeted by the now familiar sight of his former student pacing between the pews and muttering, with Felix watching from the corner of the cathedral. He slowly approached Dimitri, trying his best to make his presence known to the prince. 

"Dimitri?" Byleth called out when he got close. Predictably, he got no response from the other man. Byleth sighed lightly to himself and stood there, silently watching Dimitri. 

Dimitri suddenly paused for a moment, looking at Byleth. His breath quickened as he hunched over one hand grasping at his head and body shaking. Dimitri moaned in pain, his good eye seeing nothing but the invisible demons that tormented him. Byleth took a step towards him.

"Dimitri, what's wrong?" he asked, cautiously reaching out to place a hand on Dimitri's shoulder. 

* * *

_Hands._

Dimitri felt icy hands grabbing at him from all angles, digging their nails into his skin. The faces and voices of the dead surrounded him, taunting him. 

_"Pathetic" _His father sneered, blood covering the left side of his face, where his skull was smashed in.

_"You were too weak to save us" _Glenn glared at him, blood seeping from the stab wounds littering his stomach.

_"Kill the wicked girl, crush her treacherous throat!" _His stepmother commanded, skin covered in burns. 

_"AVENGE US" _ they all screamed, their faces twisting and contorting in agony. 

Dimitri moaned, unable to bear the torment of the dead any longer. He felt a warm hand touching his shoulder, joining the icy hands gripping him. Dimitri jumped at the sudden touch and violently jerked his arm backwards with a roar, shaking off the hands of the dead as he felt something solid connect with the back of his fist.

_ **C R A C K** _

As the hands and faces of the dead faded from his vision he heard the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor behind him and the footsteps of someone running towards him, shaking him fully out of his waking nightmare. Breathing heavily, Dimitri turned around and looked at the ground behind him, his heart stuttering at what he saw there. 

Byleth lay on the hard marble floor of the cathedral, limp and immobile. His eyes were closed, minty eyelashes dusting his cheeks where a new bruise was beginning to form. Small streams of blood trickled slowly out from a cut on his cheek and from one nostril. Dimitri stood rooted to the spot in horror, eye filling with tears as he gazed upon the form of his beloved professor lying on the cold ground. Felix skidded to a stop in front of Byleth and quickly pressed two fingers to his neck, confirming he still had a pulse. Felix sighed in relief, before lifting his head to glare at the prince, unsheathing his sword from his belt as he crouched in a protective stance over the prone form of the former professor. 

"What the fuck did you do, boar? What the FUCK was that?" Felix shouted, his right hand gripped firmly on the hilt of his sword, steel glinting threateningly. Dimitri did not, could not, respond, trembling and sweating as he kept his eye on the unconscious man in front of him. "Why did you do that? Answer me, you rabid animal!"

Dimitri felt himself being roughly shoved down to the ground. He looked away from Byleth to see Felix standing above him, sword drawn and pointed at his throat and his eyes flashing in rage. Frantic footsteps clacked from the entrance of the cathedral, causing both Dimitri and Felix's heads to whip around to the source. 

"Felix, Dimitri, whats going on he- professor! What happened?!" Sylvain ran to where Byleth lay. Felix sheathed his sword and ran back towards the other two men after sparing one final glare for Dimitri. 

"The boar punched him and knocked him out. Help me get him to the infirmary before I kill that rabid beast myself" Felix snapped as he carefully lifted Byleth's upper body, hooking his arms underneath Byleth's armpits. Sylvain silently glared at Dimitri before crouching down to grab Byleth's legs. Dimitri sat frozen as he watched his former classmates carry the limp form of the ex-professor out of the cathedral, until they were out of sight. 

Dimitri ran. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, please comment and tell me what I could improve or what I did right! I may write a follow up chapter for this if this story garners enough interest.


End file.
